Never hire a kid to do a man's job. This is why!

Well, it's been a long while but here is a status update on the '86 Trans Am. I manged to find (a good friends next door neighbor) a mechanic who agreed to swap the parts I wanted from my old '84 to the current '86 and do other miscellaneous work on the '86 for me so it's road worthy. The agreement was he'll do it for $600 + the old '84 after the parts I wanted from it were swapped out. He said he should have it done within 7-10 days and bring a friend along to help. This was the day after I took the car home, July 5th, 2010. Surely, the car should be all finished and ready to go by now, you must all think! Well, just read on below and take a look at the BULLSHIT I had to go through during this whole month.

The stuff in blue with the "*" is what I said in the letter I printed out for him after his texts in red. Instead of reading it all, just read the red and blue and then the last part where it says he's fired. All of the red and blue and the final stuff at the end has been been printed out and brought to his house.

He actually called today and left a message on my phone while I was out in the garage CLEANING HIS MESS some more! I, of course, didn't bother calling his ass back because I didn't want to hear his pity excuses anymore. Btw, excuse my poor grammar in the responses to his texts and towards the end. I was in a rush just trying to get the shit done, which took another couple hours of MY time!

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Agreement: “My old car after you take the parts I want out of it and $600 and you will do all the work yourself with a friend. Also, it will take 7-10 days.” We’ll see how this agreement goes. 

Wednesday – June 30, 2010 (Worked on car – 1st day) 

Me: Hey, What’s up? You called? – 9:47AM

Adam:  Yea I was calling to see if your home?

Me: I am – 9:49AM

Adam:  Alright how do I get to your house again? Im gunna come by and work on the cars a little – 9:50AM

Me: Cool, thanks. Make right on (street), right (street), left (street).

Adam: Ok – 9:54AM

Me: I’ll meet you in the garage. You can park in the grass next to the mailbox.

Adam: Ok be there in a second. Do you have boy tools at all?

*Asking me for tools? Why do I need to supply you tools to work on a project you said you can already do?*

Me: Have a shit load in garage. Now sure what most of them do. Lol. – 10:02AM

Adam: Alright good. Ill be there soon.

Me: K – 10:03Am

Thursday July 1, 2010 (Worked on car - 2nd day)

Adam: Hey justin ill be there around nine – 8:00AM

*You were actually there… for around 3hrs or so* 

Sunday July 4, 2010 

Adam: Hey I got called in to work. Ill come by tomo morning ok. – 9:34AM

*Could have said you have a project you need to get done, which would have been done much sooner so you can go to work more later and get more hours and shit. It’s OK, you will be there tomorrow morning… or will you?*

Me: K, that’s cool. Thanks. Happy 4^th! – 10:02AM

Adam: You too. – 10:05AM

Monday July 5^th, 2010

Adam: Hey justin I got called to work at ten – 8:24AM

*Monday morning, back to NOT work on my car! So, that’s 4 days straight of not coming back to work on the car. It’s ok, at least it won’t be more than a week… or will it? Could it be more than two weeks? We’re about to find out soon!*

Me: K, no biggie. More money for ya. Lol. – 8:53AM

Adam: Lol yea. – 8:54AM

Wednesday July 7^th, 2010 (Worked on car - 3^rd day)

Me: Hey, I’m awake. What’s your plans for this morning? – 8:16AM

Adam: Be there soon I have off today – 8:17AM

Me: Cool, sounds good. Around 9 or so? – 8:19AM

Adam: Yup

Justin: K, see ya then. Thanks. 8:20AM

*Actually worked on the car again for a couple hours*

Thursday July 8, 2010 (Worked on car - 4^th day)

Adam: Are you awake yet? – 9:18AM

Me: Lol, I am, awaiting your message. – 9:37AM

Me: See u in a few?

Adam: Lol ok be there soon. – 9:38AM

Me: K

*Worked on it for a couple hours*

Adam: Hey I cant come by tomo. – 8:29PM

*Well, that’s a shame. You didn’t say you have to work so maybe you had a date with your girl.*

Me: Well hopefully it won’t rain then. Lol

Adam: Its not gunna rain no worries. 8:44PM

Me: K, we’ll see.

Sunday July 11^th, 2010

Me: Hey, haven’t heard from you in a few days. U going to be here tomorrow or working? – 8:15PM

Adam: Tomo ill be there. – 8:17PM

*Are you really?*

Me: K, sounds good.

Adam: Ok – 8:19PM

Monday July 12^th, 2010

Adam: Hey im not gunna come today. Gotta work on getting a motor hoist. Mine is busted. – 8:27AM

*Ah, damn, guess not! I guess I’ll go back to sleep. Btw, if your friend busted the motor hoist, the friend should work on getting you one and PAYING you for one*

Me: Alrighty – 8:57AM

Adam: As soon as I get one, those motors will be out. – 8:57AM

*You sure about that?*

Friday July 16^th, 2010

Adam: Hey sorry I couldn’t come. Work has been crazy. As soon as I get a free day ill be there to finish up. – 10:13AM

*So, it’s just going to take one more day to finish up? Ok, if you say so!*

Me: Ok, hopefully it won’t take another month to finish up. – 4:19PM

Adam: It won’t – 4:20PM

Me: K – 4:21PM

Saturday July 24, 2010

Adam: Hey, I gotta work this whole weekend but ill be there Monday alright – 1:22PM

*Be there Monday? Ok!*

Me: Alright, we’ll see. – 1:39

Monday July 26^th, 2010

Me: U heading over here this morning or should I go back to sleep? – 9:12AM

Adam: Go back to sleep got called to work. – 9:26AM

*It’s Monday! Guess you won’t be here! Who would have thunk?*

Adam: Hey plan on me being there early wed morning. And most likely ill get both motors in and yours running that day – 9:39PM

Me: K – 9:27AM

*Mine most likely running that day? What strong words. Let’s see if you are a man of your word.*

Me: Sounds good. – 9:59PM

Adam: Alright your motor just needs an oil pan gasket – 10:09PM

Me: That’s what they told me. – 10:59PM

Adam: Alright it prolly is – 11:00PM

Tuesday July 27^th, 2010

Adam: Think you can wake up early tomo 4:33PM

Me: Anytime is fine with me. – 4:42PM

Adam: Six in the morning – 4:43PM

Me: Sounds ok – 7:04PM

Adam:  Alright. Already got motor hoist loaded. – 7:05PM

*Time to finally get both motors out and have mine running that day like you said the day before!*

Me: Cool. – 7:14PM

Wednesday July 28^th, 2010 (Worked on car and got 1 motor out and mine not running that day – 5^th day)

Me: It’s almost 6. – 5:57AM

Adam: Be there soon – 6:01AM

Me: How soon? 15-20mins?

Adam: Just gotta throw some clothes on – 6:02AM

Me: Alrighty, let me know when u leave so I open the garage – 6:05AM

Adam: Ok

Adam: Leavin right now. – 6:15AM

Me: K

*Wow, it’s about time. Last time you showed up to work on the project was 19 days ago!! And I thought not showing up for a week was bad! It’s OK, guess you had to work at your job 19 days straight with no days off in between. *

Adam: Your gonna have the four hundred to pay me right – 9:55AM

Me: I will have a talk to you about our “agreement” we started out with tomorrow. – 9:57AM

*You just managed to get one motor out and mine is not running at all yet you are talking about the money I owe you already for a job still not done? I guess you aren’t a man of your word.*

Adam: Alright well I should be done within the next couple days so just make sure you go the four hundred – 9:59AM

Me: Talk to you tomorrow – 10:00AM

*Next couple of days? Well, you said that on Wednesday, July 28^th, which will make it Friday, July 30^th. We’ll see what happens in a couple days!*

Thursday July 29, 2010

Me: U awake? – 6:24AM

Adam: Yea ill text you when im about to leave. Late night – 6:25AM

*Partied hard I see or had some wild sex with your girl last night?*

Me: Lol, alrighty. – 6:26AM

Me: Damn, if I had known u were going back to sleep, I would have taken a nap. – 8:26AM

Adam: If you want to go back to sleep and ill just come over there early tomo morning. 8:27AM

*I guess you didn’t want to come by because you had a late night with your girl or out having fun while I stayed up the whole night and morning because you said you will be there early in the morning the day before.*

Me: Does that mean you do not want to come over? Tomorrow I may be going out of state for a few days. – 8:30AM

Adam: Alright if anything I night come later on. What did you want to talk about – 8:31AM

Me: Oh, a bunch of things. Lol! 1. This week-10 day so-called project is taken much longer than u said when we made the “verbal agreement” – 8:34AM

Me: And 2… - 8:35AM

Me: U said “I will do everything for $600 plus the 84”

Adam: Well I had to work. Not my fault. And I had to go and buy an engine hoist. And project tends to take a little longer considering its only me. – 8:37AM

*If your “friend” busted it, why did you have to buy it? Also, those things are not easy to bust so why let someone who didn’t know what he was doing use it? And, what was that? “Only you??” So, I guess I just sat around and stared at you doing all the work while you did everything? So, you swapped the hatchbacks yourself, took off the hoods, jacked shit up and down, and got the tools and CLEANED YOUR MESS all by yourself? Oh, ok. I guess I was just an extension of YOUR body just like tools are extensions of your hand. My bad!*

Adam: That was the deal – 8:38AM

Me: As u can see, there is no “we” in “you” and you said you will have a friend to come and help u out. Where is the friend? As much as I don’t mind to help, the agreement was for me to not “assist” or get myself dirty and sweated up as well. – 8:40AM

Adam: Alright then I wont have you help that’s fine. – 8:41AM

*Yet you still wanted the four hundred (gave $200 already and the cars TITLE) after I’ve been helping yo ass and cleaning EVERY SINGLE MESS YOU MADE so my mother would stop bitching at me? Ha! Ha! Ha!!!*

Me: So, you’re going to do the rest all by yourself? – 8:43AM

Adam: Yea or ill bring a buddy with me – 8:45AM

Me: most of the work is already done so that doesn’t matter much now. – 8:48AM

Adam: Yea it will be done soon once the motor comes out everything is easy – 8:50AM

*It’s the end of July and the motors aren’t even out yet? Well, damn! Everything is easy? Well, I can’t wait to see that, considering you said that to everything else, of which I saw was a bitch to do!*

Me: We’ll see. – 8:52AM

Adam: Are you gunna be there tomo – 6:59PM

Me: Hey, can u give me the model of the carborator and other things I need for a carb set-up for the other car? – 6:59PM

Me: yep, let me know what I need or email me the stuff so I can get a price. – 7:00PM

Adam: What do you mean? – 7:01

Adam: What car do you want to put a carb on?  - 7:05PM

Me: Mine, the 86 silly. U said instead of tbi, carb is easier to install.

Adam: It is then we need to go through and see how to hook everything up. The whole deal to get a carb on it is like four hundred. – 7:08PM

Me: Is that how much more you’re going to charge me or is that the parts? – 7:12PM

Adam: Parts you need an intake manifold. Carb. And distributor. And also headers because your getting rid of all that smog shit – 7:13PM

Me: K, can u send me the part skus from autozone so I can get a rough price for my friend? – 7:17PM

Adam: I can tell you all the prices. If you buy all the shit brand new. A distributor is two hundred. Four barrel carb is another two. Intake manifold is one forty. Headers are one fifty. That’s all brand new. 7:19PM

Me: K, cool. I honesty thought those cars already have carbs though. – 7:21PM

Adam: No. Its tbi. – 7:22PM

*Acutally, TBI (Throttle Body Injection) didn’t come out on the Firebirds/Trans Am’s until 1988 so you are actually wrong there. It is NOT TBI, it is just a four-barel carb with wires for the computer in the car, not for TBI so maybe you need to do more car homework and less video game playing and going out with your friends if you want to still be a mechanic. So, thank you for feeding me with false information to make me even more confused because, as you know, I barely know a damn thing about what’s under the hood!*

Me: Alrighty. Hopefully I can get all the parts tomorrow. U off tomorrow too? – 7:27

Adam: Yea ill be there tomo. – 7:29PM

Me: Cool. I’ll most likely be going to bed tonight so what time is good for u? 8 or so? – 7:33PM

Adam: I’ll tell you soon. – 7:34PM

Me: K, I’ll be awake until maybe 2AM. – 7:36PM

Me: Ah, change of plans… I’m heading out of town in the AM so maybe Monday if u r off or whatever… I need to get away for a few days. – 9:33PM

Adam: Ok

Saturday July 31, 2010

Adam: Your gonna be there Monday right? – 9:44PM

Me: Yes sir – 9:53PM

Adam: Alright- 9:53PM 

Sunday August 1st, 2010 

Adam: Be there around eight. – 11:22PM

Me: K, thanks man. – 11:22PM

Adam: Got my girls little brother come to help – 11:23PM

Me: Alrighty. – 11:24PM

Me: How little is he?

Adam: Might hear it run tomo or the next day – 11:25PM

*Tomorrow or the next day? Oh, boy golly g!*

Me: K

Adam: He’s like fifteen. – 11:26PM

*So, now I got an 18 year old and a 15 year old working on a car almost older than both of you combined. This ought to be fun!*

Me: Well that’s a young dude. Lol! – 11:27PM

Adam: Hes cool. 11:28PM

Me: K, no problem. – 11:29PM

Adam: Alright see you tomo morning. – 11:36PM

Me: Alrighty. Have a good night. – 11:33PM

Adam: You too – 11:33PM

Monday Autgust 2, 2010 (Worked on car. – 6^th day)

Adam: Heading your way in a couple. – 7:45AM

Me: K, let me know when your on your way. – 7:55AM

*Already outside What wonderful short notice*

Tuesday August 3^rd, 2010

Adam: Hey I got called to work this morning be there tomo have off – 7:20AM

*Well, of course you did! Working on my car two days in a row would just be crazy!*

Wednesday August 4^th, 2010 (Worked on car 7^th day)

Me: U coming today? – 8:57AM

Adam: Yeah be there soon in like an hour I just had to do a couple things at home. – 8:58AM

Me: K, cool. – 8:59AM

Adam: See you soon. – 9:00AM

Me: Alrighty. – 9:00AM

Friday August 6^th, 2010 (8^th day over but just took the other car away)

Adam: Be there around eight tomo. – 12:45AM

Me: K – 12:46AM

Adam: Hey ill text you before I leave ok. And I got someone that’s gunna come get that car out of your garage today. – 9:45AM

Me: Ok but I still want a couple more things out the car. – 9:44AM

Adam: Like what? – 9:45AM

Me: Like taillights and inside speakers and trunk cover. – 9:48AM

Me: And battery.

Adam: You never said anything about the speakers or trunk cover. But that’s fine ill text you before I leave.

Me: The trunk cover just pops out and my car has no speakers I found out. – 9:52AM

Adam: Your killin me. The tail lights ill have to look at im not sure if they will work or not

*I’m killing you? Maybe you should think for a second about the mess you left every time you left and how I had to clean all of your mess up for you, which, of course was not in the agreement as well as it is just common courtesy. You make a mess, you clean the mess up when you are done. I guess your momma failed to teach you that when growing up. I wonder how messy your room is!*

Me: They will. I actually know about some things. – 10:02AM

Adam: You sure? I know its got different wiring harnesses. – 10:03AM

Me: Same wire harnesses, same back end. Just 2 diff designs from the outside. – 10:07AM

Me: I took them off before.

Adam: Ok

Me: U coming over this morning or afternoon. – 10:38AM

Adam: Coming over soon – 10:41AM

Adam: I’m about to leave – 11:15AM

Adam: I’m here – 11:22AM

Adam: Hey im coming to pick up car you don’t have to be there im just letting you know so you don’t think it got stolen. 3:25PM

*Well, that was so nice of you to do such a thing! You said my mother would love me for getting that car out the garage? Well, to tell you the truth, she bitched at me and asked me why that car was gone already when you still have NOT completed working on my car yet! And, of course, I had to clean up the mess you left when getting the car out the garage. Of course there were still parts I still wanted off the car but, alas, it was too late. If you had remembered what I wanted out of the car from the paper I had printed out and you looked at during the start of said project, you would have left the car and taken the rest of the stuff I wanted OUT but no. You were in a big ass rush to get the car out so you can get your money for that already.*

Me: K – 3:27PM

Thursday August 12^th, 2010

Adam: Hey. They got me scheduled to work from yesterday to Sunday. Ill be there Monday ok – 2:15PM

*6 days after you take the other car away and you didn’t even do anything to my car while there to prep the other car to take away. To this day, car is still NOT running!  Over a month and you’ve only been here 7 days to work on the said project? Not cool at all!*

  

 ADAM LONG… YOU’RE FIRED!

Your tools and misc crap are in my garage to be handed off to Marty to stick outside of your garage because you’re not welcome back at my house. Your engine hoist and engine stand are no longer in my possession. That was handed off to my NEW mechanic I had to hire because you failed to complete the project in a timely manner and pissed me off to no end in the process with your immaturity and lack of common sense. The engine hoist and stand, which was yours, has been surrendered over to me to pay for the parts you FAILED to take off the ’84 before you gave it away!! Let this be a lesson to you to never screw someone older and wiser than you who has been screwed many times before in his life.

If you want to try to get your stuff back from the mechanic, feel free to swing by his house. Here’s his address:
[Not disclosed online for privacy reasons]
Port St. Lucie, Fl 34984

Good luck! Maybe he’ll teach you a few things too!

Some words of advice in case you ever work on a project or anything like that again:

1. Never over promise and under deliver to anyone because it will bite your ass in the end. Being in retail, you should know this or will soon. What I mean by this is, never say it will take X amount of time to work on something when it ends up taking much more time, pissing off the person you are doing the project for in the process. This also applies to saying something like, for instance, both motors will be out or a car will be running that day, when in fact, one motor is out, and the car is still not close to be running that day, or two weeks from that day.
2. When you make a mess, clean it up! It’s as simple as that and just common courtesy! You had a container to prevent many messes but you failed to use it. Next time, think about the “tools” you have available to you before you continue to prevent more work (of which I had to do) later on which could have been prevented if you just sat back and thought for a minute.
3. Never say you have to “work” or it’s been a “long night” when working on a project as excuses to not show up that day or the next day, while the person is up early waiting for your ass to show up, especially when said person IS NOT a morning person at all and has not slept the previous night! Started on a project over a month ago, being there to work on it for eight days and it still not being done is very bad work ethic and bad for a person’s self image.
4. Never stand on a car which is older than you to work on it. That makes the owner of the car scream from the inside. The whole reason I got this new ’86 was because the body was in good shape. Never stand on anyone’s car while working on it for that matter. That’s not just only rude, it’s silly and DANGEROUS.  Also, if something doesn’t go in easily, like an engine going back in a car, there is a reason. Instead of PUSHING and SHOVING the engine or other part to go in, step back and see what is PREVENTING it from going in instead of looking like an ass and DAMAGING parts of the car by using extreme force and by…. Standing on the car as well!! Common sense plays a role in that as well.
5. If a person gives you a project to work on two cars to swap parts from, never take the other car away they gave you, in exchange for labor on working on car, until the other car is COMPLETE and the parts the previous owner wanted out of the car is REMOVED! Now, I have to pay an additional $250+ on parts on this car I wanted from the other one because of your failure to remove the parts I wanted. 

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And this is also why I don't like being around kids that age. I never did when I was that age and still don't.The car is now at a mechanic's house who's 40, which, is a much better age than 18 as far as cars and everything else goes. From all the trouble he went through to tow it away, along with cleaning up after himself and misc. crap the dumb ass left behind, and the knowledge I gained from him talking to me about the car as far as the difference between TBI and regular carborated engines, I believe my car is FINALLY in good hands. I told him to take his time and that he will. Engine will be out AGAIN and gone through and a lot of the inexpensive parts will be replaced while the engine is out versus being charged a shit load for labor down the line when the engine is in the car. I wanted this done before with the dumb ass but he was in too much of a rush to get the half-ass job done, which has still not been done a week ago!

So, now I can finally say the ball is rolling the way it should have been when I got the car in the first place and the shit will be done right by someone who has been doing this for over 20 years instead of a kid who's done it for 2. Big difference.


So, stay tuned for another update tomorrow and maybe some pics. 


I was going to read but I'm ready for bed now,


Justin